Changes
by prettylittleliar12
Summary: Austin observes Ally as she changes over time.


whoop, whoop.

i haven't posted in a while and i'm sorry, but i hope this is cute enough to make up for it.

sorry for the lack of pjo fics though. i'm working on it.

enjoy, and please review! it seriously makes my day when people review.

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Austin watches her change.

He watches as she slowly alters her appearance, and, perhaps unknowingly, her personality. He could say it was like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly- shy, insecure, dorky little Ally went into her cocoon and emerged an admittedly _very different person. _But a more accurate way of describing it, Austin thought, was reminiscent of winter turning into spring (as cheesy as that sounds)- gradual, beautiful, and a whole lot more bright.

Now, he knew Ally's personality was always _bright. _She was goofy and bubbly, sometimes a little _too _bubbly, and she never failed to make the room light up when she walked into it. But the old Ally was different, almost as if she hid all of that behind a blurred mask that she refused to take off around anybody. She wore clothes that he often heard Trish refer to as 'nerdy' or 'dull', and although Ally appeared to have pride in her wardrobe, she never did seem comfortable in her own skin.

She liked to do school work, and she always did what was right, never broke any rules, and she hated to be in the spotlight- almost the complete opposite of Austin's own personality.

And on top of that, she struggled with her crippling stage fright. He saw the way her eyes lit up when she sung, when her fingers danced across the ivory piano keys. He so badly wished she wasn't so cripplingly terrified so the world could see it too.

But that was the old Ally.

That's the way Ally was when they had first met. When they were both awkward fifteen year olds still trying to figure everything out, even if she was marginally more awkward than he ever was. That was the _old Ally._ He had to keep reminding himself that.

He watched her change over a period of time.

It starts with the hair.

He saunters into Sonic Boom, the way he does almost every day, but stops abruptly in his tracks when he spots an unknown person behind the counter. She was Ally's height. She was wearing Ally's clothes. But she sure didn't look like Ally.

Gone were her short, mousy waves. Now Ally's hair was longer, flowing over her shoulders, and curled into perfect ringlets. The thing that shocked Austin the most, though, was the colour. Half of it was _blonde._ Well not exactly half. It was her natural shade of chestnut brown near the top, but gradually lightened into blonde at the ends. It was such a dramatic change, that Austin had to look twice to make sure that it was in fact his partner. Ally had actually dyed her hair that way.

"Ally?!" He questioned, voice raising an octave. She spun around to face him. Seeing the look on his face, Ally smiled sheepishly.

"Is it too much? Trish suggested it, and the hairdresser told me that it wouldn't look too bold, and I was really nervous about it because it's not _me,_ but I needed a change and I'm just so worried that everyone will think it looks-"

Austin blinked in surprise before cutting her off. "N-no, it looks great. Just very…" He strode over to her and tilted his head to the side, examining her locks. He tugged on a curl. "…different."

Ally bit her lip. "Different good, or different bad?"

Austin took another look at his songwriting partner. She was wearing more makeup to match her new hair do, and although he really did appreciate the natural look on girls, the effect was overwhelming. She looked so much older now, a little more mature, and maybe even more confident. He grinned at her.

"Different good."

The next things he saw change about her were physical as well. And boy, did he notice.

Austin was sitting in the practice room, having gone up there early for their scheduled 'Austin and Ally time' while Ally finished working downstairs at the store. He hadn't seen her all day, because when he arrived she was on her break, and as much as he wanted to talk to his short brunette friend, he knew it was busy down there. He'd offer to help out but he was pretty sure he'd just get in the way.

So Austin waited upstairs, strumming absent mindedly on his guitar, because he couldn't really start anything without her. And about ten minutes later the door swung open.

Austin's pretty sure his jaw hit the floor. He doesn't remember too much about how he reacted, because he was too busy focusing on Ally.

Was this really the nerdy little girl he'd met only a handful of months before? Normally, it really _was_ what was on the inside that matters, and he liked Ally anyway, but being a teenage boy he couldn't help but notice her… uh… striking change in clothing choices.

Ally's recently dyed hair was loose and curly again. One of the first things Austin noticed was her sky-high wedges, giving her at least a few more inches in height. He didn't like that. He usually loved the fact that she was so much shorter than him.

The dress, however, he did like.

It wasn't at all anything he'd expect Ally to even consider wearing. It was incredibly fitted, hugging her body tightly, revealing all the curves she usually hid under loose-fitting skirts. Austin's mouth went unwillingly dry. The dress was red and white and patterned and all the other things Austin didn't really care about. It fell to her mid-thigh and hung a little too low on her chest. Austin swallowed in a fairly obvious way, and tried his hardest not to stare at his best friends body and disrespect her.

He really tried.

Ally smiled at him tiredly, then sighed loudly. She told Austin she was absolutely exhausted before stepping forward and surprising him thoroughly by wrapping her arms around his waist. Austin tensed suddenly, and had to remind himself that it was _just Ally_, so he returned her embrace and tried not to linger on the thought of how much of her bare skin was touching his. She rested her head on his chest.

When they pulled apart and Austin's cheeks were flushed, they began their song writing as per usual. Austin was fine until Ally stood from the bench and made her way to the mini fridge before leaning over to get a drink. No matter where he looked he felt like he was violating her, but at the same time he could hardly look away. He drew in a shaky breath when Ally spun around and frowned at him. She seemed to mistake the intentions of his stare.

"Oh, these are just some new clothes my aunt got me for my birthday. They're a bit snug, I know."

Austin could only shake his head. "No. They're fine. _Believe me_."

Ally raised an eyebrow, but appeared to be otherwise oblivious as she took her seat beside him on the piano again. Austin mentally scolded himself and sighed. It was going to be a long day.

The third and last physical change was something that only Austin could notice. Her eyes.

It wasn't the colour of her eyes- no, they still remained the deep, chocolate brown colour he loved so much- but more of the look in them.

Before her confidence began to build, Ally's eyes were often dull, averted away from other peoples and anxious. Austin couldn't help but observe the way her eyes were now. Bright, piercing, fiery. Lit up with enthusiasm and confidence. And he loved that look on her.

She wasn't afraid to sing a little more openly now, (he wold often find her frolicking around the store when there was only a few customers in, singing her favourite song under her breath). She didn't get anxious about doing presentations in class anymore. Once, Austin even spotted her flirting with a guy on the lacrosse team. _Flirting. _After he'd gotten over the initial shock, Austin's blood had boiled at the sight.

But jealousy aside, Austin loved the way she seemed so sure of her self now, so much more confident in herself. Because she deserved to. And he told her everyday, and he still does, how amazing and talented she is, and sometimes a small glimmer in her eye shows him that she might just actually believe it.

It hits him one day, when he stumbles across a picture of the both of them only a week after they'd first met. Ally's hair mousy and wavy, her eyes and smile shy. She was shorter then, and dressed in a dull floral dress and cowboy boots. She looked so innocent, so meek. And Austin realises just how much she's changed. And how he's watched her changed, little by little, until she turned into the confident and bright girl she was today. Austin was grateful that he got to experience that with her.

He wonders, fleetingly, after she gets over her stage fright, if maybe they're not the perfect match any more. He's beginning to dabble in the song writing area, and she's nothing at all like she was all those months ago. Ally no longer had stage fright. She no longer got scared or self conscious about performing. And suddenly, they weren't so much of a perfect match as they used to be. When Austin voices this to her, however, Ally dismisses him with a wave of her hand and tells him that he was being ridiculous.

He realised only later that she was right. He _was _being ridiculous. Because not matter how much either of them changed they would always be Austin and Ally, and they would always be a perfect match.

The last change brings Austin only more elation. Because the last change Ally goes through is going from his best friend, to his girlfriend, and finally, to his everything.


End file.
